


The Sword of Zorana

by TheLegendOfChel



Series: Rain or Shine [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Video Game World, Archer Lance (Voltron), Canon-Typical Violence, Demon Keith (Voltron), Established Relationship, Honeymoon, Light Angst, M/M, Mage & Demon Queen AU, Married Klance, Protective Keith (Voltron), Protective Lance (Voltron), Tooth-Rotting Fluff, nothing too bad i swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:09:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22083154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLegendOfChel/pseuds/TheLegendOfChel
Summary: It shouldn’t surprise Keith when three days into their honeymoon Lance somehow stumbles into the middle of an ancient prophecy.
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Series: Rain or Shine [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1468156
Comments: 92
Kudos: 583





	The Sword of Zorana

**Author's Note:**

> This story follows the events of “It Never Rains on Saturday” and "It's a Secret to Everybody" in the "Rain or Shine" series. I highly recommend reading those first to fully understand what’s going on. 
> 
> I’m not entirely sure how to describe this fic. It’s more than just an extra, but not quite a full-fledged sequel either? 
> 
> In any case, please enjoy! ヾ(´▽｀*)ﾉ☆

“You’re sure you have everything?” Shiro asked. “Potions? Gear? Extra clothes?”

Keith rolled his eyes. “For the last time, yes. My inventory is twice as full as usual.”

“Okay, just making sure,” Shiro said. “You left the tower for the first time less than a year ago, you can’t blame me for worrying about you leaving the whole country.”

“He’ll be fine Shiro,” Lance grinned and slung an arm over his husband’s shoulders. “He’s got me to look after him.”

Shiro chuckled while Keith shot Lance a dirty look.

“You’ve never been outside of Altea either,” he pointed out.

“True,” Lance said, “but I’ve been pretty much everywhere  _ inside _ the kingdom, so I’d say I still have way more traveling experience than you do.”

Keith grumbled and Lance tugged him closer, his grin growing when a faint blush rose to Keith’s cheeks. They’d been married for months now, but Keith’s stomach still fluttered every time Lance held him close.

Someone loudly cleared their throat. Keith hastily pulled himself out of the infinite depths of Lance’s eyes and turned to face Pidge who, judging by her expression, was starting to regret getting up early to see them off. Conversely, Hunk looked like he wanted to hug them. Or cry. Probably both.

“Here,” Pidge tossed a gold amulet to the Demon King. “We tailored it to your specifications as best we could. In addition to making you look human, it’ll hide your aura as well as its own.”

Keith examined the necklace. It was similar to the one Lance gave Keith so long ago, but the runes inscribed upon it were more intricate. True to Pidge’s word, Keith couldn’t sense any magic radiating from the amulet.

“Thanks, guys,” Keith said, clasping it around his neck.

He felt his demonic features melt away, leaving him with the appearance of a normal human swordsman.

“It’s not perfect,” Hunk added with a frown. “The only way we could figure out how to hide your power was to suppress it, so be careful.”

Keith nodded. Lance’s arm around him tightened slightly as the hero’s brow creased with concern.

“Isn’t that dangerous?” Lance asked.

“It doesn’t affect stats like HP or Mana,” Hunk assured them, “but access to your magic will be limited while you’re wearing the amulet.”

“We’ll keep working on it,” Pidge said. “If you want, you can always postpone your trip until we figure out another way.”

Lance gave Keith a questioning look, but Keith shook his head.

“We delayed our honeymoon for months to help with the peace treaty,” he said. “I don’t want to wait anymore.”

“But, babe,” Lance pursed his lips, “what if something happens and you can’t protect yourself?”

Keith glanced up through his eyelashes. “I’ve got you to look after me, don’t I?”

Lance visibly brightened, a besotted smile on his face.

Before they could get lost in each other’s eyes again, Shiro said, “Still, don’t take any unnecessary risks. Zorana is even less tolerant of demons than Altea used to be, so once you cross the border you’ll have to keep it on at all times.”

“I know,” Keith said.

By his side, Lance shifted in discomfort. 

“We don’t have to go to Zorana…” he started, only to let out an “oof,” when Keith jabbed him with his elbow.

“We already talked about this,” Keith scowled. “We’re going to Zorana and that’s final.”

“Yes, dear,” Lance said, rubbing dramatically at the nonexistent bruise.

When the subject of their honeymoon first came up, it was merely one of the millions of things Keith never had to consider before he agreed to marry the archer who stole his heart. At the time, Keith had shrugged and told Lance he’d be happy no matter where they went as long as they were together. The look on Lance’s face was excruciatingly gooey. 

Once he recovered, Lance told Keith that he had always wanted to visit the kingdom of Zorana, known around the world for its beauty. A seaside country filled with lush, green flora, scenic mountains, and cascading waterfalls, Zorana was the perfect place for a romantic getaway.

It wasn’t until after Lance finished gushing about it that they remembered not every kingdom accepted demons into its borders.

Lance quickly assured Keith that they could go somewhere else, but Keith’s mind was set the second Lance’s face lit up in excitement. They had arguments about it for weeks. Keith finally won by promising to disguise himself as a human for the duration of the trip, which Lance agreed to on the condition that Pidge and Hunk upgrade Keith’s amulet for extra safety. It took several  _ more _ weeks, but they were finally ready to go.

Keith ruffled the fur on top of Kosmo’s head. “Take care of the tower while I’m gone, okay boy?”

Kosmo barked and licked Keith’s face. Though cosmic wolves were not demonic in nature, Kosmo’s magic was so intrinsically woven with Keith’s that he could easily be mistaken for one, and Pidge and Hunk hadn’t quite figured out how to hide his powers yet. It killed Keith a little bit to say goodbye to his pet, even just for a few weeks, but he knew it was for the best. It did make him worry less about the tower, at least. Kosmo was almost as big as a horse now, and made a fearsome guard dog.

Keith and Lance bid their friends one last farewell. Lance mounted his faithful steed Kaltenecker and reached down to help Keith climb onto the saddle behind him. Arms wrapped around Lance's waist, Keith's laughter joined the hero's joyful whoop as he spurred the horse into a gallop.

They were off.

\-----

The capital of Zorana was about a four day ride on horseback, but Lance and Keith weren't in a hurry. They took their time, stopping now and then to admire their surroundings or enjoy a peaceful rest. Zorana may be known for its splendor, but Altea was also beautiful, and filled with wondrous sights. The vast forest they had to travel through was the very definition of magical.

A week passed before they finally drew closer to the border. Lance closed his eyes and took in the moment, breathing in the fresh smell of pine and basking in his husband's warmth against his back. He felt so ridiculously happy and content, Zorana could turn out to be a wasteland and Lance still wouldn't mind. 

"Hey, Lance?" Keith's breath tickled his ear as the demon's pointy chin settled on his shoulder. "Are you sure you know where you're going?"

Lance blinked open his eyes, good mood waning at his husband's skeptical tone.

"Of course I do," he replied. “Why?”

"Well, we've passed that boulder twice now."

"What?" Lance squinted at the oddly shaped rock. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Keith nodded.

Lance pulled up his mini map and scanned the holographic screen. "This says we're going in the right direction."

"The forest is enchanted," Keith pointed out. "Maybe it's messing with us."

"So what should we do?"

Keith hummed, his brows furrowed together. After a moment, he slid off of Kaltenecker, boots hitting the grass with a soft thump.

"Here, hold this." 

Lance scrambled to catch the amulet. Keith unfurled his newly rematerialized wings and shot up into the air. Squinting through the canopy of leaves, Lance could barely make out Keith perched atop a tree. 

Keith glided back down to his seat, offering Kaltenecker an apologetic pat when the horse startled at the sudden passenger. 

"What did you see?" Lance asked.

"There's a huge mountain range over that way," Keith pointed to the left. 

"Then that's where we need to go," Lance nudged Kaltenecker in the appropriate direction. "Zorana should be just beyond."

They continued on their journey, stopping every so often for Keith to fly up and make sure the forest hadn't turned them around again. Once they were close enough that Lance could spot the mountains peeking over the treeline, he handed Keith his amulet. 

"We should be getting close to the border," Lance said.

Keith accepted the necklace with a pout.

"At least I got to stretch my wings," he sighed.

As expected, they entered the kingdom of Zorana a couple of hours later. Over the next few days, they traversed a large mountain pass, and rode through several villages. The people were friendly, and seemed more than happy to let them stay the night in exchange for coin or the completion of a quick side quest. The further they travelled, the more Lance noticed a difference in the environment. The air felt warmer, and tasted slightly of salt. One of the villages they stopped in served dishes Lance had never seen before, comprised of all sorts of foreign meats, vegetables, and spices. He would definitely have to tell Hunk when they got back. 

Finally, they arrived at the capital. 

"Woah," Lance breathed. Beside him, Keith nodded, his violet eyes sparkling with wonder.

Zorana was the image of a picturesque seaside kingdom. The city looked resplendent, shimmering a soft white in the setting sun. Many of the buildings were made to resemble coral or seashells, and all led up to a huge castle perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean. On one side of the castle, waves crashed over golden sand, while on the other was the tall mountain range Keith and Lance had entered through. From this side, Lance could see hundreds of crystal clear waterfalls scattered across the mountainside. 

The two husbands exchanged an excited smile.

Their first stop was the fast travel gate. Since Zorana was a different region, the only way to unlock fast travel was by going there the normal way first, then registering the gate to their profile. Lance worried that doing so would reveal Keith's true identity, but Keith assured him it wouldn’t be an issue.

After that, they located the nicest inn in the city. It was their honeymoon, after all, and neither of them were hurting when it came to money, so they had no trouble booking the biggest, fanciest room available.

The newlyweds spent the next couple of days doing every romantic thing they could think of. They explored the city. They strolled along the beach. They danced in the square. Lance could tell that at first Keith was a bit overwhelmed. Though not quite as big as Altea, Zorana was still bustling with people, and the Demon King had yet to fully adjust to crowds.

But they took it slow, and Lance was by his side every moment, coaxing Keith into trying new things until the demon became relaxed enough to suggest a few himself.

Racing on giant manta rays wasn't the first thing that came to mind when Lance thought of romantic honeymoon activities, but damn was it fun.

Everything was going so well, like something straight out of Lance’s dreams, except better because it was real, and Keith was right there in his arms, smiling and laughing and filling Lance with so much love he felt ready to burst.

So, naturally, that’s when something went wrong.

On their third day in Zorana, Lance insisted they visit the Veiled Falls. A popular tourist spot, the Veiled Falls was the largest of the many waterfalls that covered the mountains, and in addition to being one of the most beautiful places in the world, it was said to possess great magic.

It was a bit of a trip. Lance and Keith packed a picnic and rode Kaltenecker for nearly three hours before they finally arrived. However, as soon as the mist cleared and they got their first glimpse of the area, Lance knew it was more than worth the effort.

An enormous waterfall poured down into a huge, clear lake. Lance and Keith found a nice mossy spot on a large, flat rock to lay out their blanket, and Lance sat down to stare in awe. Sunlight filtered through the spray of water to create a rainbow and illuminated hundreds of colorful fish. Though the land immediately surrounding the lake was mostly stone, there was also dirt, grass, trees and flowers as you drew further away.

By some miracle, they were the only ones at the Veiled Falls that day, so Lance and Keith whiled away the hours, chatting and cuddling and taking in the atmosphere. Morning soon became afternoon, and Lance dug out their specially prepared picnic from his inventory. 

He was sprawled out on the bed of soft moss, belly full, sun kissing his skin, and his head pillowed on Keith’s lap as the Demon King ran soothing fingers through Lance’s short brown locks, when a scream pierced the air.

“Help!” a woman’s voice cried out.

The two jumped. A look of understanding passed between them, and they leapt to their feet, drawing their weapons as they raced toward the source of the screaming. 

“Please, someone help me!”

Lance arrived first, tumbling into a clearing. The lake before him wasn’t as large as the one connected to the Veiled Falls, but it was close, and looked much deeper. In the middle of the water, a young woman struggled against what looked like a giant sea serpent. The worm-like creature had a wrinkly white underbelly and an orange hide partly covered by mossy vegetation. Long white tentacles dragged the woman toward the sea serpent’s maw, which opened into four sections like the petals of a flower, but with way too many teeth.

The young woman locked eyes with Lance, and the hero could see her fear and desperation. 

“Please!” she thrashed against the tentacles, reaching towards them. “Help me!”

Lance looked over at Keith who gave him a firm nod. Without speaking, they split up. As Keith ran along the lake’s shore, Lance began scaling the cliffside parallel to the waterfall. Once he reached the top, Lance looked down to see Keith trying to draw the sea serpent closer to land, his sword gleaming in the sun.

From his perch, Lance rained a torrent of arrows at the beast, distracting it enough that Keith was able to hack and slash his way into the swarm of tentacles and pull the young woman free. 

Keith continued to fight the serpent up close while Lance shot it from afar. The beast was tougher than it appeared, and Lance was beginning to run low on arrows by the time it finally started to look worse for wear.

Suddenly, things took a turn for the worst. One of the tentacles managed to wrap around Keith’s waist and yanked him underwater. Lance’s heart seized. 

Several seconds passed but Keith didn’t resurface. Finally, Lance couldn’t take it anymore. He used a magic item to propel himself off of the cliff and jumped down towards the serpent’s snapping jaws. Time seemed to slow down as Lance waited for the right moment to release his arrow. His aim was true, and the arrow plunged into the glowing orb at the back of the beast’s throat, its shriek muffled when Lance fell into the water with a splash. 

Above him, the serpent burst into a dark cloud of smoke, but Lance didn’t notice as he swam deeper, reaching out to grasp Keith’s limp hand. Cradling him in his arms, Lance kicked back up towards the light.

“Keith!” Lance said as soon as they broke through the surface. “Are you okay?”

Clutching Lance’s shoulders, Keith coughed the water from his lungs.

“Yeah,” the demon finally said. His lips quirked into a crooked smile. “Thanks to you.”

Lance pressed a relieved kiss to Keith’s wet hair. They swam back to shore, where the woman still waited.

“Hey,” Lance said. “You alright?”

The young woman merely stared, mouth agape as the monster’s remains dissipated.

“You…” her voice was hushed with disbelief. “You killed the Baku.”

“Uh, yeah,” Lance looked over his shoulder. “Was I...not supposed to? You looked like you needed help.”

“I...yes, I did,” she blinked rapidly. “It’s just...you  _ killed _ the Baku.”

Lance and Keith exchanged a look.

“I’m, uh, not sure what you’re getting at here,” Lance said.

The woman opened her mouth, but before she could speak, her eyes widened and she looked behind them. Lance and Keith spun around, shielding their eyes from the sudden bright light.

The cloud left by the serpent had finally vanished, leaving behind what Lance assumed was the monster’s loot. A broadsword hovered above the lake’s surface. Lance realized the light was shining from the weapon itself, which usually only happened with extremely rare items.

The sword floated towards them, coming to a stop in front of Lance. Lance reached out to take it, but a hand caught his wrist.

“Wait,” Keith frowned. “What if it’s some kind of trick?”

“It’s just a monster drop, Keith,” Lance raised an eyebrow. 

The Demon King eyed the sword suspiciously, but released Lance’s arm. Lance grasped the sword’s hilt. The light faded away.

“Woah,” Lance held the weapon up admiringly. “Check out these stats! Do you think this is a Legendary?”

Legendary weapons were the rarest and most powerful of them all. The only way to get one was by defeating the strongest bosses or completing the most dangerous quests. 

Keith eyed the sword skeptically. “I dunno…”

“It’s you!” the woman blurted out. “The hero that was foretold!”

Blue and violet eyes turned to her.

“What?”

“Our kingdom has a prophecy,” she said, almost tearful. “It says that one day a True Hero will slay the Baku and return the holy sword to the Heart of Zorana.”

Lance and Keith exchanged another baffled look.

_ “...Huh?” _

\-----

The young woman introduced herself as Plaxum. When they tried to get more information, she merely shook her head and insisted they speak to the queen.

"Queen Luxia will explain everything," Plaxum said. "She is the keeper of the prophecy."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Keith muttered under his breath as they followed her to the castle. 

"It seems like she's telling the truth," Lance whispered back. "See?"

He pulled up his quest log to show Keith. On it was a new entry titled, "The Sword of Zorana," which gave a brief summary of their battle with the Baku and meeting Plaxum.

Keith pursed his lips.

They soon arrived at the castle. It was even more beautiful up close, with cream colored walls, magnificent stained glass windows, and tall towers whose tops spiraled up to the sky like sea shells.

The inside was just as gorgeous. Plaxum led them down several hallways lined with mosaic murals, and colorful chandeliers of sea glass dripped from the ceiling. 

But most splendid of all was the throne room. Marble statues of mermaids stood proudly by the walls, each one holding a huge vase stuffed with real flowers. The stained glass windows were even larger and more elaborate than the ones in other parts of the castle. A long plush carpet stretched from the doorway to the golden throne at the far end of the room, upon which sat a beautiful woman. Her shimmering blue dress seemed to gently flow like water, and a crown made of coral sat on her brow.

"Queen Luxia," Plaxum greeted with a curtsey. "I bring wonderful news! The Baku has been defeated."

Plaxum gestured at Lance. Shooting an uncertain look at Keith, Lance stepped forward and raised the sword for Queen Luxia's appraisal. 

The queen's eyes widened. 

"Finally, after all these years," she said softly, "a True Hero has come to our aid."

Feeling self conscious, Lance scrubbed a hand through his hair with a grin.

"Well, I don't know about that," he said. “I just saw someone who needed help. Besides, I couldn't have done it without Keith."

Luxia's gaze flitted between the two men.

"My thanks to you both then," she said. "You are not of Zorana, yes? Tell me, what fortuitous event brought you here?"

Heat flooded to Lance's face.

"Oh, well actually we're on our honeymoon," he said with a helpless smile.

The queen's eyebrows rose. "Fortuitous indeed. In return for your troubles, please allow me to host a feast in celebration. You can stay here in the castle for the remainder of your trip, with every comfort at your disposal."

"That's very kind, but we couldn't possibly impose," Lance said. Beside him, Keith nodded.

"Nonsense," Queen Luxia replied. "It's the least we could do after you rid us of the Baku. Though I'll admit, my request for you to stay is not entirely selfless."

"Plaxum mentioned something about a prophecy," Keith said, crossing his arms.

Queen Luxia bowed her head, eyes downcast. She held out her hands. "May I?"

Lance gave her the sword, and she studied it with quiet awe.

"For centuries, the Sword of Zorana protected our people. It is a powerful artifact, and acts as a key to stabilize our country's magic. That is," her eyes darkened, "until the Baku appeared. It stole the sword and fled into the underwater tunnels that run through the mountains. Countless adventures have tried to get the sword back. All have failed."

She looked back up, a small smile on her face.

"But we did not give up hope," she continued, "for shortly after the Baku fled, a seer visited Zorana. She prophesied that one with the pure heart of a True Hero would slay the Baku and return the sword."

She handed the blade back to Lance, who took it with reverence.

"We have long awaited your arrival."

"So is this prophecy fulfilled then?" Keith asked. "The Baku is dead."

Queen Luxia nodded. "The hardest part is done. All that remains is for the hero to take the sword to the Heart of Zorana, so that it may protect us once more."

"Where's the Heart of Zorana?" Lance asked. "It's not, like, in a volcano or anything, is it?"

Laughter like tinkling bells filled the throne room.

"Nothing so precarious as that, I assure you," the queen said. "The Heart is in an underground cavern right below our feet. I can accompany you there after the feast."

"Oh, okay," Lance grinned. "Sounds great."

Keith frowned.

"Excellent," Queen Luxia clapped her hands and a servant hurried over. "My attendant will show you to your rooms and see that your belongings are brought to the castle. I thank you both again for saving my kingdom."

They bowed and left the throne room. 

The servant led them to a suite fit for royalty that matched the beauty of the rest of the castle. After a quick tour of the amenities, she left with a promise to return once dinner was ready.

The doors shut, leaving the two of them alone. Lance shot Keith a smirk.

"So," he said, "that's two kingdoms I've saved now."

Keith rolled his eyes. 

"Don't get ahead of yourself," he replied. "This quest isn't over yet."

"You doubt me?" Lance placed a hand on his chest.

Keith, however, didn't play along with his husband's dramatics, leveling a serious gaze at him.

"Not you, no."

Lance blinked. "You think the queen is lying?"

"I don't know," Keith admitted. "Something doesn't feel right." He sighed. "It's probably nothing. "

Lance reached out to tangle their fingers together and gave Keith's hands a squeeze.

“Babe, no,” he ducked his head to catch Keith’s eye. “Talk to me. What’s wrong?”

“It’s just...Luxia said they’ve been trying to defeat the Baku for years, but it wasn’t really that hard to kill.”

Lance quirked an eyebrow. “You’re the Demon King, Keith. Nothing is hard for you to kill.”

“But I wasn’t using my full power,” Keith argued. “I wasn’t even using a tenth of my power, and we beat it without any issues. There was no second stage to the fight, no minions summoned to its aid, nothing. Not exactly what I’d expect for a final boss in a Legendary quest.”

“Okay, fair,” Lance said. “But Zorana isn’t Altea. Maybe their monsters aren’t as high-leveled as ours are.”

“Maybe,” Keith said dubiously. 

Lance studied his husband’s worried eyes and pulled him closer.

“Look,” he said, wrapping his arms around Keith, “I trust your instincts. If you think something weird is going on, I believe you. But I’m not sure what we can do about it until we figure out more, so for now let’s just try to enjoy our honeymoon, and keep an eye out for anything suspicious, okay?”

“Okay,” Keith nuzzled into his embrace. “Just...promise me you'll be careful.”

Lance held him tighter. "I promise."

\-----

Keith let out a long sigh, his eyes fluttering shut as he sank into the water. Though his worries were far from gone, he had decided to take Lance’s advice and enjoy their trip, starting with a nice, hot bubble bath.

The tension in his muscles relaxed while warmth seeped into his skin, and Keith happily breathed in the flowery aroma. If it weren’t for his reputation as Demon King, he’d have a giant bathtub like this installed in his own bathroom. Hell, maybe he would anyway.

A few minutes later, the patter of bare feet reached Keith’s ears, followed by a low chuckle.

“Want some company?” Lance asked.

Keith smirked up at his husband through thick eyelashes. “Only if you wash my hair.”

“Deal.”

Lance slipped into the water with a quiet hiss. 

“Damn, that’s hot.”

“Sorry,” Keith said. As a dragon demon, there wasn’t really any such thing as ‘too hot’ for him. He could probably bathe in lava if he wanted to.

“It’s okay, I’m already adjusting,” Lance said.

He slung an arm over the tub’s rim with an inviting smile. Keith easily tucked himself against Lance’s side, and they basked in the peaceful silence. Once they’d had their fill soaking up warmth, Lance guided Keith to sit in front of him so he could wash his hair, and Keith let out a pleased hum as strong hands massaged fragrant oil into his long, dark locks. For once, he was glad his horns and wings were hidden, so they didn’t get in the way of Lance’s talented fingers.

With his eyes closed, Keith didn’t see the mischievous smile until it was too late. 

_ Sploosh! _

With a yelp of surprise, Keith whirled around to glare at his husband through cold, wet bangs.

“Just rinsing you off, darling,” Lance said, not quite able to contain his shit-eating grin.

The Demon King couldn’t abide such disrespect. He scooped up a small mountain of bubbles and attacked. The result made it look like Lance had a soapy beard and wig, which, combined with his nonplussed expression, sent Keith into a fit of laughter.

Lance quickly retaliated. The sounds of splashing and helpless giggling echoed through the chamber, and it wasn’t long before there seemed to be more water outside of the tub than in it. Keith barely noticed its absence as Lance finally caught his flailing wrists, bringing him close to press their lips together. Keith’s eyes fell shut as the kiss deepened.

Screw it, he was getting one of these tubs.

\-----

The next morning, sunlight filtered in through the gossamer curtains draped around the large bed. Lance's eyes fluttered open and a smile automatically grew across his face.

Waking up next to Keith was the best thing in the world. 

Carefully, so as not to disturb his still sleeping husband, Lance tucked a stray lock of Keith's inky hair behind his ear, giving Lance a clear view of his lovely face. As he admired the dark eyelashes, slim nose, and slightly parted lips, Lance wondered if the swell of affection in his chest would ever fade. He hoped not.

Lance continued to indulge himself until Keith finally stirred. Violet irises that sparkled like the rarest gems met Lance's gaze, and those pretty lips curved into a smile.

"Morning," Lance said softly.

Keith shifted closer to press a sweet kiss to Lance's mouth.

"Good morning," Keith replied, his voice still raspy with sleep.

It was so cute, Lance couldn't help but wrap his arms around Keith. He lost track of time as they lay in bed, exchanging lazy kisses to their heart's content.

Eventually, a knock on the door brought the newlyweds out of their bubble. Assuaging Keith's pout with another quick kiss, Lance threw on a robe and went to answer it.

"Good morning," Plaxum chirped. "Hope I didn't wake you."

"Nah, we were already up," Lance said. "That for us?"

“Of course,” she grinned.

In her hands, Plaxum held a large, silver tray covered with various types of fruit, bread, and cheese. Lance stepped aside so she could carry the food over to a small table.

"The feast honoring you both for slaying the Baku is tonight," Plaxum said. "But before that, I wanted to offer you my own gratitude. You saved my life yesterday."

Lance rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, we couldn't just leave you when you were in trouble."

"Not everyone would be so kind," she replied. 

Keith trundled over to lean against Lance’s side. Lance tried not to get distracted by how cute he looked in his fluffy robe.

"Even if we hadn't saved you, wouldn't you just respawn?" Keith asked, popping a grape into his mouth.

"Yes, but I've never had to respawn before. To be honest, I hope I never do," she grimaced. "So thank you again."

Lance nodded. Though he was used to it after being an adventurer for so long, the first few times respawning were unpleasant to say the least. Most civilians lived their whole lives without ever having to experience it, and it was part of a hero's job to keep it that way. 

Plaxum clasped her hands together with a bright smile.

"Enough about me. Queen Luxia wanted to know if you had appropriate attire to wear for the celebration. If not, I would be more than happy to take you to the best shops in the city! Her Majesty will cover any expense, of course.”

Lance pulled up his inventory. “Now that you mention it, I don’t think I brought any formal wear.”

“What?” Keith frowned. “You didn’t bring something nice to wear on our  _ honeymoon?” _

“Oh, and you did?” Lance shot back. “You, Mr. I-only-wear-black-leather?”

“Yes!” Under the weight of Lance’s stare, the demon pouted and looked away. “...Shiro made me.”

Snorting, Lance turned back to a bemused Plaxum.

“We would love to go shopping with you,” he told her.

They ate a quick breakfast, then rode a carriage back into the city. Plaxum was an excellent tour guide. She knew the streets with the familiarity of someone who grew up there, greeting person after person like an old friend. Chatting with her, Lance learned that Plaxum was one of Queen Luxia’s personal attendants, and had known the queen since they were young.

Their first stop was the tailor’s. The people of Zorana favored loose clothes that flowed and rippled like water, and Lance marvelled at how light the fabric felt as he tried on different outfits. Eventually, he settled on a rich blue cloth that wrapped around his body like a toga. The material was pinned at one shoulder with a silver clip and flared down his back like a small cape. The folds and silver trim created a handsome image.

Satisfied, Lance stepped out of the changing room to find the curtain of the one next door still closed.

“How’s it going in there, babe?” Lance asked. “Find one you like yet?”

“I think so,” Keith’s voice said. “But I, uh, might need some help…”

“Want me to come in?”

Keith gave an affirmative, and Lance slipped into the small booth. 

“What’s the problem…” Lance trailed off, his jaw dropping to the floor.

Keith looked over his shoulder, lips pursed and cheeks pink.

“I can’t figure out how this stupid thing works,” he grumbled, struggling to wrap a swathe of fabric around his bare chest. “Who in their right mind decided to make clothes so complicated?”

Lance snapped out of his stupor and gently rescued the fabric from Keith’s grip.

“Hey now, it’s not the clothes’ fault you’re used to skin tight leather,” he teased.

Keith huffed, but held still as Lance fit the toga properly onto his body. It was somewhat similar in design to Lance’s, except the skirt was a bit shorter, falling to mid-thigh, and rather than a cape, Keith’s outfit draped down from both shoulders in a wide scoop to leave his back bare. Staring at the vast expanse of flawless skin, Lance cleared his throat.

“Not going with red or black?” he asked, nodding at the pale lilac fabric.

Keith shrugged. “They seem to be all about shades of blue and purple here, and I didn’t want to stand out too much. Does it look okay?”

Lance leaned in to kiss away the worry line between his brows.

“You look gorgeous, my love,” he said.

Keith blushed and offered him a shy smile. “So do you.”

“Why, thank you,” Lance winked.

Plaxum paid the shopkeeper as they changed back into their normal attire, placing their new clothes into their inventories.

“Now that you’ve got the outfits,” Plaxum grinned, “it’s time to accessorize.”

As soon as the entered the jewelry store, Keith’s eyes widened with glee, sparkling more than the precious gems themselves as he rushed over to examine the closest display case. It was an amusing reminder that, despite his current appearance, Keith was still a demon, and there were few things demons liked more than treasure.

“Lance, look!” Keith pointed excitedly at a silver necklace dripping with amethysts. “I  _ need _ this for my hoard.”

Plaxum blinked. “Hoard?”

“Uh, he means his loot collection,” Lance said hastily. He leaned down to study the necklace with an admiring hum. “It would go nicely with your outfit.”

Plaxum turned to the jeweler with a smile. “We’ll take it.”

“Oh, no,” Lance raised a hand. “You already paid for our clothes, we can buy the rest.”

“Nonsense,” Plaxum said. “You saved our kingdom, the least we can do is give you some nice things.”

“I guess,” Lance said hesitantly. He turned to ask what Keith thought, only to find the demon had already put the necklace on, and was admiring his reflection in a mirror. A helpless smile grew on Lance’s face.

“Besides, you won’t be able to keep the sword so think of this as your loot for defeating the Baku,” Plaxum said.

“Well, if you put it that way, I s’pose it’s alright,” Lance chuckled.

“Great!” Plaxum clapped her hands. “What else shall we get?”

Keith probably would have bought out the entire store if Lance let him, but settled for a silver circlet with a single amethyst to match his necklace, and a pair of silver earrings. Lance got a matching pair of earrings and silver bracers for his forearms. The bracers were more decorative than anything else, with pretty, swirling patterns engraved across the surface.

They finished things up by stopping by the cobbler’s for two pairs of sandals with straps that criss-crossed up their shins, then returned to the castle.

Lance collapsed onto the bed.

“Good thing we have a few hours before the feast,” he sighed. “I’m exhausted. I think I need a nap.”

“A nap does sound good,” Keith agreed.

He started to crawl onto the bed, but Lance held up a hand.

“Nuh uh,” he said. “We are not cuddling until you take those off.”

Unlike the clothes and shoes, Keith wore his new jewelry right out of the store, and even now several precious stones dripped from his neck. Stones that were sure to dig into Lance’s skin.

Keith pouted, but took the necklace and earrings off. He moved towards Lance, and Lance raised his hand again.

“Circlet too, babe.”

The pout grew. Keith reluctantly plucked the gem from where it rested on his forehead and set it on the dresser.

“Happy now?” he huffed.

Lance slowly raked his eyes over his husband from head to toe, pleased by the small blush that painted Keith’s cheeks under his attention. Wordlessly, he opened his arms. Keith dove into them, snuggling closer with a happy sigh, and Lance was glad he made Keith remove the circlet when the demon nuzzled his face into Lance’s neck.

They dozed until a servant knocked on the door to let them know that the feast would commence shortly. Lance and Keith donned their new clothes and accessories. Lance was right; the purple amethysts went perfectly with Keith’s lilac toga.

While Lance was fixing Keith’s hair, Plaxum showed up to lead them to the banquet hall.

“Wow, you both look amazing,” she said. “I know I was with you when you picked out your outfits, but seeing everything together is totally different.”

“We clean up pretty good, huh?” Lance grinned.

“You do,” she laughed. She looked at Keith and blinked. “Are you keeping that on?”

Lance realized Keith still wore the amulet Pidge gave him that kept his human appearance. The gold chain did clash somewhat with the other silver jewelry, though it was long enough that the pendant itself was hidden beneath Keith’s toga.

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Keith finally replied. “This necklace has, um, sentimental value. I never take it off.”

“I see,” Plaxum nodded. “Well, no matter. You still look great.”

“Thanks,” Keith smiled.

They followed her through the halls before coming to a stop in front of two large doors. Lance could hear a muffled cacophony of noises from the other side, indicating that the celebration was already in full swing. He looked over at Keith. The Demon King wore a familiar pinched expression as he stared at the doors. 

Lance took his hand and gave it a little squeeze, smiling when Keith meet his eyes.

“Ready?” he asked.

Keith took a deep breath, He squeezed back, and some of the tension uncoiled from his shoulders.

“Ready.”

\-----

“And so tonight, we honor Lance and Keith of Altea for slaying the Baku and returning the Sword of Zorana to its rightful place,” Queen Luxia said, her voice strong and sonorous.

Applause filled the room, and Keith tried not to cringe as the noise roared in his sensitive ears. While the Demon King had gotten used to being around more people since forming an alliance with Queen Allura and the humans, he still sometimes had trouble adjusting to large crowds.

Lance had no such issues. Sitting beside Keith at the queen’s table, he flashed the audience a dazzling grin and waved. The banquet hall was filled with nobility, important tradesmen, and anyone else lucky enough to snag an invitation. Four long tables sat perpendicular to the queen’s so that all could see her, and the other side of the room opened up into a large ballroom. A small orchestra played serene music.

“In accordance with the prophecy,” Queen Luxia continued, “tonight Lance will take the sword to the Heart of Zorana and restore its protection over the realm.”

This time, Keith wasn’t as successful in hiding a wince when the applause grew even louder.

“But first,” the queen smiled, “let us feast. Not only have these two young men done us a great service, but they interrupted their own honeymoon to do so. As thanks, let us give them a celebration they will remember fondly for eternity!”

The crowd cheered once more. Keith felt a blush rise to his face, but before he could feel too embarrassed, Lance’s hand slipped into his own and he offered Keith a soft smile that Keith couldn’t help but return.

At Queen Luxia’s command, an army of servants brought out dish after dish. As one might expect from a seaside kingdom, the cuisine centered around different types of fish, crustaceans, and seaweed. Keith enjoyed one dish in particular, some kind of crab meat on a bed of rice with sauce drizzled on top that wasn’t quite like anything he had ever tasted before. Lance must have noticed how much Keith liked it, because he placed some of his own portion onto Keith’s plate. In return, Keith gave Lance more of the spicy tuna dish that made the hero’s blue eyes light up earlier.

After dessert, which consisted of several different kinds of cake, ice cream, and other confectioneries, people began to rise from their seats to walk onto the large dancefloor. Lance turned to Keith with an excited grin.

The tension that had slowly drained away over the course of dinner suddenly returned, and Keith eyed the dancing couples warily. He looked back at his husband, studying his patient smile and kind eyes. Keith took Lance’s waiting hand.

The crowd parted as they walked to the dancefloor. They were probably trying to be considerate, but it just made Keith feel more on edge under the weight of so many eyes. The Demon King had spent most of his life alone in his tower, and unlike his and Lance’s wedding where the crowd was filled with people he actually knew, this time they were surrounded by the stares of strangers.

Large warm hands cupped Keith’s face, bringing him out of his thoughts when they tilted his head up to meet Lance’s gaze.

“Hey,” Lance said softly. “Don’t pay any attention to them, okay? Just keep your eyes on me.”

Swallowing, Keith nodded. Lance smiled and took Keith’s hands, guiding one to rest on Lance’s shoulder while keeping the other clasped in his own. Lance placed his free hand at the small Keith’s back, gently but firmly drawing him close. Keith shivered. Lance’s bare shoulder was warm and solid beneath his hand, and Lance’s palm against Keith’s spine burned in the best way.

Obeying his husband’s instructions, Keith kept his eyes locked with Lance’s. Crystal blue irises poured joy and love into Keith’s very soul as they slow danced across the room. Magic bathed the banquet hall, giving the illusion of rolling ocean waves above them, and the soft lights highlighted Lance’s handsome features. Keith admired the sun-kissed freckles, long eyelashes, and tousled hair, and wondered, not for the first time, what he’d done to deserve such a beautiful, amazing person.

“What?” Lance asked, his smile lovelier than all the stars in the sky.

Keith let his eyes fall shut, and rested his head against Lance’s chest.

“Nothing.”

After a few more songs, Lance pulled Keith off of the dancefloor. They exited the banquet hall, and when Keith gave his husband a curious look, Lance merely offered a secretive smile. They eventually found themselves outside in a large garden overlooking the sea. Hundreds of flowers glowed with a soft white light, and above them the full moon shone.

Hand-in-hand, Keith and Lance strolled through the rows of flowers. The calming roar of the ocean waves drifted over them, and Keith felt something inside of himself uncoil. 

“So,” Lance said, “best honeymoon ever, right?”

Keith chuckled. “I don’t have anything else to compare it to, but yeah,” he peeked up through his lashes, “best honeymoon ever.”

Lance tugged him to a stop. Keith leaned closer, eyes fluttering shut as Lance drew him in for a kiss. He wrapped his arms around Lance’s neck, and Lance cupped the back of Keith’s head while splaying his other hand across the bare canvas of Keith’s back.

They walked through the garden some more. Soon they found a marble bench and sat down, cuddling close as they listened to the ocean below and gazed at the stars above.

Keith was almost ready to fall asleep when a polite cough gained their attention.

“Sorry to disturb you,” Plaxum said. “Queen Luxia is ready to escort you to the Heart of Zorana now.”

“Then we shouldn’t keep her waiting,” Lance nodded.

Keith pouted but followed them back into the castle. The queen stood in front of the entrance to the throne room, and offered them a smile when they joined her.

“Lance. Keith,” she greeted. “I hope the feast was to your liking?”

“It was great!” Lance said. “Once of the best parties I’ve ever been to!” 

“Please, the honor was all mine,” Luxia replied. 

“So it’s time to return the sword?” Lance asked.

She nodded. “You have it, I presume?”

Lance summoned the weapon from his inventory and showed off by twirling it around with a wink. Plaxum and Queen Luxia tittered, but Keith just rolled his eyes.

“Then please, follow me,” Luxia said.

They bid Plaxum farewell, and the queen led them through several hallways and down a series of stairwells. As they descended deeper underground, Keith eyed the two guards that walked behind them.

“Forgive me for asking,” Keith said, “but is the place we’re going dangerous?”

Queen Luxia followed his gaze and offered Keith a reassuring smile.

“Not at all,” she said, “my guards merely go with me everywhere for my own safety.”

“I see.” 

Keith was much more powerful than any of his subjects, so the idea of them acting as his bodyguards was somewhat laughable. Queen Allura didn’t usually keep guards with her either, but then again Keith was pretty sure she was just as powerful as he was. If Lance’s theory was true about Zorana having a lower power level than Altea, Keith supposed it would make sense for the queen to require more protection.

He was pulled from his musings when Queen Luxia came to a halt.

“We’re here.”

Before them loomed two enormous stone doors carved with several runes. With a wave of the queen’s hand, the doors slide apart, revealing a wide cavern. Dozens of luminous stones jutted out from the craggy walls and bathed the room in a soft blue light. The air felt damp, and smelled faintly of the ocean.

As they walked inside, Keith ran a critical eye over their surroundings. For a place purported as the heart of the kingdom, it was awfully lackluster, devoid of any sort of shrine or ceremonial alter one might expect in a sacred space. The only real thing of note was a small pedestal in the center of the room, in which Keith spotted a slit just big enough to sheath a sword’s blade.

Queen Luxia stepped aside and gestured gracefully toward the pedestal.

“Please,” she said.

Lance straightened his shoulders, head held high. With the sword in hand, he walked over to the pedestal. He looked over his shoulder to where Keith still stood with the queen and her guards, and Keith gave him an encouraging nod. Lance smiled and turned back. With a firm downward thrust, Lance sank the blade into the pedestal. 

As soon as it clicked into place, Keith felt a pulse of magic sweep over the room. 

Familiar magic.

Dark energy burst from the sword, enveloping Lance. He fell to his knees with a pained cry, his hands still wrapped around the sword's hilt in a vice like grip as magic crackled around him like lightning. 

"Lance!"

Keith surged forward, only to be seized by the queen's guards. With a snarl, he tried to wrench out of their hold, but the guards didn't budge, pinning Keith's arms behind his back. It didn't make any sense. Even with his powers suppressed, two humans should not have been enough to hold him, yet the Demon King was unable to break free. 

Lance released another scream. Rage pushed Keith's confusion away and he struggled with renewed vigor as Queen Luxia gracefully walked over to Lance.

“Finally,” she intoned, “after all these years, after luring dozens of heroes, I have finally found one with a pure heart. Now, give it to me,” standing before Lance’s hunched form, she reached out her hands, “the Heart of a True Hero!”

The dark magic around Lance rushed towards her, connecting the two humans as she seemed to syphon something from Lance’s writhing body. Keith watched in horror when Lance’s spine arched and his head tipped back, eyes squeezed shut and jaw clenched in pain. 

The Demon King struggled once more. If he could just get his arms free, then Keith could remove his amulet and release his magic. Growling low in his throat, Keith shot a menacing glare at one of the guards.

“Let me go right now, or I swear I’ll raze this kingdom to the ground,” he hissed.

The guard didn’t respond.

“Hey!” Keith snapped. “Are you listening to me? Zorana will be nothing but a scorch mark on the map by the time I’m done with it!”

The guard’s face remained impassive, like he hadn’t even heard Keith speak. Narrowing his eyes, Keith glanced at the other guard to find he too had an oddly vacant expression.

Sudden realization dropped like a ball of ice in Keith’s stomach. Of course. Why hadn’t he figured it out before? Keith looked back at Lance and Queen Luxia, or at least what was pretending to be Queen Luxia. If his theory was right, then Lance was in even more danger than he thought. 

The storm of emotions inside of Keith grew, coiled tightly in his chest.

In the center of the room, Luxia’s smile turned into a frown.

“Where is it?” she demanded. “I know you have it. The sword would not have appeared unless you have the Heart!”

The queen raised her hands and the crackles of dark energy became bigger. Lance screamed again, and the well of tension inside of Keith finally exploded. He barely noticed the amulet shatter as his magic burst free of its cage, rushing through every inch of his being. Huge, leathery wings flared up behind Keith, and deadly sharp horns sprouted from his head. His long, thin tail lashed through the air and he sent the two guards flying across the chamber to crash against the wall hard enough to deplete their HP in a single blow, causing them to vanish in a puff of smoke.

With a sweep of his wings and a mighty roar, Keith flashed to the center of the room, slamming into the queen so that she too struck the wall, though she didn’t despawn like the guards. The dark magic disappeared, and Lance finally let go of the sword to collapse onto the ground. Keith dropped to his knees and gathered Lance’s limp form in his arms.

“Lance?” Keith said. “Are you alright?”

For a few excruciating seconds, Lance didn't answer. Then, finally, he opened his eyes.

"Yeah," Lance said, his voice soft as he shot Keith a weak yet genuine smile. "Thanks to you."

Relief flooded through Keith. He pulled his husband closed and buried his face in the crook of Lance's neck. Lance hugged him back just as fiercely.

Their moment was cut short by a shuffling sound. Keith and Lance drew apart, instantly on alert, and saw Queen Luxia rising back to her feet, her movements stilted and uncanny like a puppet whose strings had been tangled up.

"What's wrong with her?" Lance asked, pulling out his bow and swiftly aiming an arrow at the queen.

"She's being controlled," Keith said as he drew his sword. "Most likely by a demon with psychic abilities."

"A demon?" Lance asked. "Can't you just tell it to stop?"

"This isn't my domain, Lance," Keith snapped. "Demons outside of Altea aren't my subjects."

"Oh." Lance seemed to consider this. "Well, maybe you could still try talking to them. They might listen to a fellow demon."

"We aren't really the talking sort. There is, however, one thing all demons respect."

"...Treasure?"

Keith narrowed his eyes. 

"Power."

He shot towards Queen Luxia to strike her with his blade. The queen raised a magic shield just in time to block Keith's sword, but the force knocked her back against the wall hard enough to crack its surface. Keith started to lunge again only to hesitate at Lance's shout.

"Keith, wait!" Lance said. "We don't want to hurt the queen! If what you said is true, she's an innocent victim in all this, right? We have to find whoever's controlling her."

Scowling, Keith drew back. He didn't particularly care about Luxia, but Lance had a point. Killing her wouldn't necessarily kill the demon behind all this, and it would lose them their only lead. 

Queen Luxia's face curled into an eerie smile.

"I must admit, I didn’t expect to meet another demon here. Especially one of such high caliber," she said, her voice simultaneously Luxia's and someone else's. "But it matters not. My true body is hidden somewhere you will never find it, so you cannot defeat me regardless of your strength."

"Wanna bet?" Keith snarled.

"Who are you?" Lance demanded. "What do you want from me? You said you've lured heroes here before."

That creepy smile widened.

"I am the Baku," the demon said. 

Lance frowned. "But we killed the Baku."

"What you fought was merely an illusion," it said with a dismissive flap of its hand. "A decoy to test potential candidates."

"Told you," Keith muttered. Turning back to the possessed queen, he asked, "Candidates for what?"

"Surely you've figured it out by now," it taunted. "I seek the Heart of a True Hero."

"That's just a myth," Keith said.

"Oh no, it's quite real," the Baku replied. "And your dear husband here has it."

"Has what now?" Lance asked.

Keith turned to look at Lance. Brave, beautiful, selfless Lance, who took on quests purely to help those in need. Lance, who would risk life and limb without a thought to the reward. Lance, who came face-to-face with the King of Demons and asked for his hand in marriage, saving a kingdom not with violence, but with love.

Keith sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of course he does."

"Uh, excuse me?" Lance said irritably. "Mind filling me in?"

“You remember when Queen Luxia said you had a pure heart?” Keith said. “I think she meant it literally.”

“...Huh?”

Keith ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “Look, monsters and humans both drop loot when they die, right? And boss monsters have better loot, sometimes even Legendary items?”

“Yeah,” Lance said cautiously.

“It’s extremely rare, but humans can hold Legendary items, too. The Heart of a True Hero is said to be one of them, possessed only by the bravest and most noble of souls.” Keith scowled at his husband. “Apparently that includes you, you idiot.”

Lance looked like he wasn’t sure whether to be insulted or not. 

"But I've died plenty of times and never dropped anything like that," he said.

"Legendary loot works differently than normal loot," Keith replied. "It only drops after a permanent death, or through some kind of magic ritual."

“Okay, but we don’t really know that I have it,” Lance said. “Just because this jerk says so doesn’t mean it’s true.”

“Oh, but it is,” the Baku interrupted. “There’s a reason I chose Zorana to carry out my plan. The Sword of Zorana stabilizes this country’s magic, but it has one other important quality. It can only be wielded by one with a pure heart.”

“Meaning that if another hero killed your decoy, they would have just gotten normal loot,” Keith concluded, “but one with the Heart would get the sword.”

“That’s right,” the Baku said. “And to make sure I could get the hero right where I wanted them, I possessed a renowned seer and fabricated a prophecy. Adventurers do so love their little quests.”

“Seems like a lot of work for one item,” Lance said.

“It has taken decades of planning and execution,” the Baku acknowledged, “but all will be worth it. The Heart of a True Hero is extraordinary even amongst other Legendary items, and when I eat it, I will become the most powerful demon in the world!”

“Wait, you wanna  _ eat _ my heart?” Lance scrunched up his face. “Gross.”

“It’s not your physical heart, Lance,” Keith said impatiently. He paused. “Well, it could be. But it’s most likely an item somewhere in your inventory, hidden deep enough that under normal circumstances, no one would even know about it, including you.”

“Regardless of where it is,” the Baku’s lips pulled back into a deranged grin. “It’s about to be mine!”

It shot forward, arms outstretched to grab Lance. Keith, however, was prepared, and leapt in front of his husband, forcing the Baku to jump back to avoid being decapitated by his blade.

“Keith!” Lance yelped. “The queen!”

“She can respawn!”

“You don’t know that for sure!”

Keith growled, but couldn’t argue. Powerful beings like Keith and Queen Allura worked with different rules, and while Allura had never confirmed or denied being able to respawn, Keith thought it would be awfully unfair if she had the ability. Queen Luxia didn’t seem nearly on the same level as Allura, but killing her would be a risk.

However, not being able to kill her put them at a huge tactical disadvantage, and judging by its expression, the Baku was prepared to exploit this weakness to the fullest.

As the battle began in earnest, the Baku retained its taunting grin. It was clearly playing with them, practically dancing around the swing of Keith’s blade and the torrent of Lance’s arrows.

“What’s the matter?” it cackled. “Weren’t you going to show me your true power?”

The Baku dodged another swipe of Keith’s sword, spinning around to whisper in his ear, “You’ll never protect him that way.”

Keith’s eyes widened. With a growl, he lashed at the other demon with sharp, black nails, slashing four thin lines across the possessed queen’s face. The Baku reared back with a shriek.

“Keith!” Lance shouted. “What did we just talk about?!”

Keith merely bared his teeth and leapt after his opponent. The battle continued, but something tickled at the back of his mind. In the split second before he landed the hit, the Baku’s eyes had widened in genuine fear. But why? The Baku had made it clear it didn’t care what happened to the queen. Was it afraid that if they did kill her, it would lose its hostage? Or was there another reason?

“Keith, watch out!”

Snapping out of his thoughts, Keith turned in time to see the Baku shoot a crackling beam of dark energy at him. Before the Demon King could do anything, Lance suddenly appeared in front of him, arms stretched out protectively. The dark lightning struck him at full force, bringing Lance to his knees with a yell.

“Lance!”

Keith rushed to help, but another blast of magic knocked him back against the wall and pinned him there like a net. The trap was shockingly strong, and Keith’s mana was already depleted from the fight. It would take a few moments for it to regenerate enough to break free. Moments, Keith realized with horror, that they didn’t have.

“Enough games,” the Baku hissed, walking toward Lance. “Give me the Heart!”

The Baku sunk its claws into Lance’s chest. Lance screamed as the dark energy around them grew stronger.

“No!” Keith shouted. He struggled harder against the net, willing his mana gauge to fill more quickly.

“Give it to me!” the Baku repeated, its eyes manic. “I know you have it!”

Magic whorled around them like a vortex, sweeping through the cavern and pulling at Keith’s hair and toga. Lance writhed in the Baku’s grasp, and his agony felt like it was ripping a hole in Keith’s own heart.

“Fine then,” the Baku said. “If I can’t draw it out of you while you’re alive, I'll just force you to drop it.”

The demon threw Lance onto the ground. Lance tried to get back up, but the weight of the dark magic seemed to keep him firmly pinned. Above him, the Baku held up its hand to summon another ball of dark energy. 

"Say goodbye to your husband because you won't be respawning."

With its gaze burning into Lance’s struggling form, a triumphant grin on its stolen face, the Baku didn’t notice Keith finally rip through his prison.

“Lance!”

Blind with fury, Keith charged at the Baku, seizing it by the throat and slamming its body against the wall. Despite the force of Keith’s blow, the Baku merely cackled.

“Careful now,” it taunted. “You don’t want to kill the poor, innocent human queen.”

Eyes narrowed, Keith tightened his grip.

“I’d like to avoid it because Lance asked me too,” he replied, “but if it’s a choice between her or him, I won’t hesitate.”

“Go ahead then. It makes no difference to me.”

“Now see, that’s where I think you’re wrong,” Keith said. “You told us your real body was somewhere we’d never find it, but I think you’re really just hiding in plain sight.”

He held up his other hand and a fireball began to form in his palm. It was subtle, but Keith noticed a flinch flash across the Baku’s face.

“You think I’m bluffing?” the Baku asked.

“Guess we’re about to find out.”

Keith swung his arm down. At the last possible second, the Baku’s face transformed into a look of fear, and it opened its mouth to release a plume of black smoke. Keith quickly extinguished his fireball and snatched the fleeing creature. He lowered Queen Luxia’s unconscious body to the floor, then turned his attention to the thing now squirming in his hand.

“So this is your true form.”

It was an ugly little thing, no bigger than a worm, with centipede-like legs and a single eyeball, its slitted pupil flitting about as it frantically tried to escape.

“Please,” it squeaked, “if you let me live, I...I will pledge my allegiance to you! I will become your loyal servant and help you conquer the world!”

“Stop your snivelling,” Keith said. “You call yourself a demon?”

“I’ll do anything,” it cried. “Just spare me!”

“Normally I wouldn’t lower myself to waste the effort on killing something as pathetic as you. However, you made one crucial mistake.” Keith’s lips drew back into a snarl. “You ruined my honeymoon.”

White-hot flame exploded from Keith’s hand, instantly turning the Baku to ash. Once it died down, the Demon King wiped his palm clean with a faint look of disgust and hurried over to his still prone husband.

“Lance?” Keith swiftly dropped to his knees and gathered the human in his arms. “Lance, talk to me!”

“Y’know,” Lance said with a small groan, “everyone keeps saying I’m the hero, but I feel like you’re the one who keeps saving me lately.”

Relieved, Keith offered a weak chuckle. “Well, I wouldn’t have been able to save you if you hadn’t saved me first.”

“S’ppose that’s true.” 

A small screen popped up next to Lance accompanied by a cheerful jingle, which proclaimed the Sword of Zorana quest as complete.

“Oh, good,” Lance said. “Glad that’s over with. Hey, you got a red potion I could use? My HP gauge won’t stop beeping at me, and it’s super annoying.”

Keith quickly handed one over.

“I didn’t realize you ran out,” he said as Lance downed the bottle. If Keith hadn’t stopped the Baku when he had...

“This toga doesn’t exactly have great armor stats,” Lance let out a relieved sigh as his HP regenerated. “Looks like yours worked out for you, at least.”

“Huh?” Keith followed Lance’s gaze to look over his shoulder. The backless lilac robe had easily allowed Keith’s wings their full range of movement. “Oh. Yeah, I guess so.”

A shuffle and quiet groan caught their attention. Keith and Lance looked over to see Queen Luxia sit up, a hand pressed to her head as she glanced around in confusion.

“What happened?” she asked. “Who are you?”

The husbands exchanged a look.

“This is gonna take some time to explain,” Lance said.

“Not it,” Keith replied.

\-----

With the Baku defeated for good and the queen no longer under control, peace returned to Zorana. Not that most of its citizens knew anything was wrong to begin with.

With his amulet broken, Keith was no longer able to hide his true form. However, with Queen Luxia, Lance, and even Plaxum, to vouch for him, Luxia’s council seemed to accept that he played a pivotal role in saving the kingdom. With luck, his actions would help pave the way for Zorana to extend an olive branch to their own demon population.

Queen Luxia offered to throw Keith and Lance another feast, this time a real one with no underlying trickery, but the husbands graciously refused. They were both more than ready to go home. 

“Then please allow me to at least give you this,” Queen Luxia said. “My servants found it in the cavern. We believe it’s the true loot left behind by the Baku, and therefore rightfully belongs to you.”

She handed Keith a sleek looking bow, its metal frame covered with tiny, delicate runes. Scanning its stats, Keith’s eyebrows rose.

“A Legendary weapon,” he said. “Ironic.”

The Demon King turned and held it out to Lance, who took it with sparkling eyes.

“Amazing,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Who knew such a terrible little monster would have, well, this.”

Lance started to hand it back, but Keith shook his head. 

“You keep it,” he said.

“Really?” Lance asked. “But you’re the one who defeated the Baku.”

“It’s a bow. You’re an archer,” Keith rolled his eyes. “It would be wasted on me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Lance, just take the damn thing. Think of it as a belated wedding gift if you want.”

A beautiful grin brightened Lance’s face. He gave Keith a sweet peck on the lips, causing the demon to blush. The queen was right there!

Luckily she didn’t seem to mind, offering them an amused smile.

“I would feel remiss if I didn’t give you some kind of gift myself,” she added. “As both thanks for your good deed and congratulations on you marriage.”

“Oh, that’s alright,” Keith said awkwardly. “You’re already letting us keep the outfits and jewelry we bought for the feast.”

“At least let me give you some kind of token as a reward.” The queen waved her arm and a pair of attendants shuffled forward carrying a large, ornate chest between them. “Perhaps you would like to pick something from my personal collection?”

The chest opened to reveal a small mountain of gold, jewels, and other such treasure. Keith stared, mouth agape until Lance’s pointy elbow jabbed into his ribs. With a small cough, Keith tried to regain his composure.

“...Maybe just one.”

\-----

They could have used the fast travel gate to warp back to Altea, but both agreed that some time alone would be nice after all that had happened. Thus, they said their goodbyes and mounted Lance’s horse. Keith could fly now that he was free to show his true form, but he much preferred sitting behind his husband and soaking up his warmth.

As they left the tall mountain range and entered the forest, Keith spoke up about something that had been weighing on his mind.

“Why do you think the Baku wasn’t able to find your Heart?” he asked. “I mean, I’m obviously glad it didn’t, but I wonder why.”

Lance shrugged. “Maybe it was wrong about the sword, and I don’t have the Heart of a True Hero.”

He didn’t sound particularly bothered by the idea, but Keith shook his head.

“No,” he disagreed, “I looked at the sword’s attributes while you were explaining everything to Luxia. It was a hidden ability and took some effort to find, but the Baku was telling the truth. Only someone with the Heart could trigger its appearance.”

Lance hummed. “Well, then maybe the Heart wasn’t where the Baku thought it was.”

“What do you mean?”

Lance turned to shoot a sly smile over his shoulder. “I gave my heart to you, remember?”

Keith stared blankly for a moment before heat rushed to his cheeks. With a groan, the demon buried his face into Lance’s shoulder, punishing his husband’s laughter with a light smack to his arm. 

They rode through the trees for a while longer. Peeking up to make sure Lance wasn’t paying any attention, Keith opened his inventory, navigating the menus with the quick practice of someone who had hours and hours of nothing better to do than explore them until he found the most secret stats and hidden items. His breath hitched.

“Everything okay?” Lance asked.

Keith closed the hologram. He slipped his arms around Lance’s waist and pressed his cheek against Lance’s shoulder. Keith’s eyes fell shut.

“Yeah,” he said with a soft smile, “everything is perfect.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! (๑¯◡¯๑)
> 
> If you enjoyed it, please leave a comment/kudos/bookmark (today is actually my birthday, and getting lots of comments would be a lovely present >_>) and be sure to check out the "Rain or Shine" series. I have a few more fics planned for this AU so subscribe if that interests you.
> 
> Special thanks to my beta, Melissa!
> 
> See you next time! (*´∇｀*)


End file.
